Hole edge gripping electrical junction box connector



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Feb. 18, 1958 E. A. SCHIGUT HOLE EDGE GRIPPING ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOXCONNE Filed Feb. 23, 1955 IN VEN TOR. 62

United States Patent Ofilice HOLE EDGE GRIPPING ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOXCONNECTOR Emil A. Schigut, Fallbrook, Calif. Application February 23,1955, Serial No. 490,049 2 Claims. (Cl. 285-162) The present inventionrelates to connectors and more particularly and specifically to noveland improved connectors for attaching electric conduits in electricoutlet boxes.

It has heretofore been a practice in attaching electric conduits inoutlet boxes to provide a connector tional engaging portion thereof. 7 7

Still further disadvantages have been found in the use of prior artdevices growing out of the inherent inflexifails to allow for thevariations in sizes and imperfections inherent in the knock-out holes ofdifferent commercial outlet boxes encountered in electrical work.

disadvantages inherent in prior constructions.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a ment to the outletbox.

A further object is the provision of a connector of the type describedwhich provides for inherent flexibility holes having imperfectionstherein and to holes of various sizes and non-uniform configurations. I

Still an additional object of this invention is the provision of aconnector for attaching electric conduits to 2,823,932 Patented Feb. l8,1958 2 electn'c outlet boxes which provides for a novel and improvedlocking construction which insures a firm and box and which will remainin secure engagement under the maximum of stress on the connectorthrough the conduit.

Still another object and advantage of the instant invention is theprovision of an electrical connector of the Still other objects andadvantages of the present inntion will become readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art when the following general statement and descriptionare read in the light of the accompanying drawings.

The nature of the present invention may be defined in general terms asconsisting of a conduit connector associmember formed of a resilientmaterial, a slot extending throughout the length of said tube with theedges defining the slot in normally spaced apart relationship, a

a connector constituting the present invention, 11 generally designatesan electric outlet box, and 12 generally designates a sheathed electricconduit.

a longitudinal slot 14 extending throughout its length with the edges 15defining the slot being normally in spaced apart relationship.

At one end the tube 13 formed by striking up said ears outwardly of thetube, being disposed toward the tongue end of the tube.

Intermediate the tongues 16 and the raised cars 18 the tube isadditionally provided with a pair of diametrically opposed lugs 20 whichare struck outwardly of the tube with the abutment portions of the lugsdisposed in the direction of the tongues and away from the ears 18.

A pair of radially projecting abutments 2'1 and 22 is formed integrallyfrom the tube in opposed positions along the tube edges defining theslot 14 at points closely adjacent the tongued end of the tube andintermediate the tongues immediately adjacent each side of the slot 14.The abutments 21 and 22, which are of general rectangular cross section,project outwardly of the tube so as to place their extended ends insubstantially the same circumferential plane with the outermost surfacesof the shoulders 16:: of the tongues 16. These abutments 21 and 22 servepurposes to be hereinafter described.

In use of the connector above described in conjunction with an outletbox 11 and electric conduit 12, the tube is positioned within the boxwith the end thereof remote to the tongues 16 being passed outwardly ofthe box through a conventional knock-out hole 23 in the wall of the boxto bring the tongues 16 into resilient engagement with the peripheraledge 24 of the knock-out opening. By forcing the tube outwardly of theknock-out opening against the resilience of the tongues 16 the tube maybe brought to a position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, where the peripheraledge 24 of the knockout opening will pass over the lugs 17 in theresilient tongues, thereby frictionally engaging the peripheral edge 24between the lugs 17 and the annular shoulders 16a of the tongues.

While the tube is being moved outwardly through the knock-out opening 23the outermost ends of the abutments 21 and 22 will be brought intoengagement with portions of the peripheral edge 24 of the knock-outopening and upon continued forceful movement of the tube through theopening these abutments will cut into the peripheral edge forming keyedengagement therewith, thereby cooperating with the lugs 17 and theannular shoulders 16a of the tongues to securely lock the connector inthe knock-out opening.

When the tube has been positioned in the knock-out opening of an outletbox as described above, a sheathed conduit 12, consisting ofaconvolutely woundmetallic cable having overlapping convolutions 25, maybe threaded on the extended end of the tube by reason of the threadedengagement of the internal abutments 26 of the convolutions of the cablewith the ears 18 and the lugs 20 formed on the extended end of the tube.In this manner the conduit is securely attached to the extended end ofthe connector providing continuous access through the conduit and theconnector into the outlet box. V

It should be noted that by reason of the slot 14 extending throughoutthe length of the connector that there is not only flexibility in theconnection established by the conduit and the outlet box through theintermediate connector, but there is also provided an allowance fornonuniformity in knoc -out opening sizes and shapes by reason of thecompressibility of the tube within the limitations defined between thespaced apart edges defining the slot. At the same time, the opposedabutments 21 and 22 serve to preserve the circumferential continuity ofthe tube by preventing compression beyond the point of the abutment ofthe shoulders simultaneously with the abutment of the edges 15 definingthe slot thereby preventing distortion of the tube and thus eliminatingthe possibility of improper engagement of the connector in the junctionbox and with the attached conduit.

From the foregoing it is now apparent that a novel and improvedconnector has been provided for the purposes described which satisfiesall of the objects and advantages heretofore set forth. In the foregoingdescription certain terms have been used for brevity and clearness ofunderstanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be impliedtherefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art since such words areused for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Thus having described my invention, its construction and operation, andthe new and useful results obtained thereby, what I desire to claim is:

1. For use with an electric junction box provided with a conduit outletopening in a face thereof, and an electric conduit, a connector forfastening said conduit in. said outlet opening including, an open endedtube having a slot throughout its length, a plurality of resilienttongues formed integrally with one end of said tube, said tongues beingturned to lie substantially parallel with said tube for a spaceddistance from the end thereof, a pair of abutments formed integrallyfrom said tube and projecting substantially radially outwardly frompoints on those edges defining the longitudinal slot in said tube, saidabutments being located in spaced opposition adjacent the tonguesupporting end of said tube with the extended ends thereof projectingoutwardly to lie substantially in the same plane as the outer surfacesof said tongues, and means on the second end of said tube for engagingan electric conduit.

2. A connector construction as definedin claim 1 wherein said projectingabutments are of rectangular cross section with their greater lengthsbeing disposed longitudinally of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

